I was dreaming of a GREEEEEENNNN Christmas!

Hello

My name is bwings and I had a delightfully green Christmas this year.

Some things not shown in the video would be the hot air popcorn popper and a natural loofah as well as a loofah made using recycled plastic. I am not sure if it is common knowledge, but a loofah is in actuality a plant. Just as the marshmallow was originally a plant, a mallow that grew in the marsh. Now it is a sugar creation of pig tendons and flavoring, but it was once a native american favorite sticky delicacy from the marsh.

A loofah, luffa, or lufah is a tropical/subtropical plant of the cucumber family that is harvested before maturity in Asia and Africa and eaten. A loofah that is harvested after it's ripened is dried and used as a plant sponge for bath or kitchen, as a natural remedy for jaundice,  or to make the soles of beach sandals.
I am positively in love with my new loofah, ever since moving into this new place I found my feet got cracked and dry quickly. Scratching against my blankets at night and sending shivers down my spine. With the natural loofah it is more coarse and helps scrub off the dead foot skin *yummy*. I can use it and know that it's from a natural self-sustaining source rather than plastic/pvc created with harmful chemicals and sitting in a waste pile for years.


My hot air popper I have used almost everyday since I opened it. Not good for my diet as popcorn might be fat free but calories WOOOO but that's a discussion for my bridal blog. I have childhood memories of standing the correct distance from our popcorn popper and waiting anxiously to watch the popcorn fly out. I would be mesmerized by this and now so is my daughter. It's a delightful way to make popcorn, easy and PFOA free.

Shown in the video was a gift of Natures Gate shampoo & body wash. Their products have:

• No Phthalates or Parabens
• No Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulfates
• No Animal Derived Ingredients
• No Animal Testing
• No Synthetic Fragrance
• No EDTA (at least in the products I received) 

and in addition they, as a company, support Water Aid America which helps communities in Asia and Africa gain access to sustainable supplies of safe, clean water.

Lastly but most adorably the video shows how Asmerus, when wrapping my present, tenderly reused wrapping paper as part of his gift to me. Every year I salvage what I can of the paper to be reused the next year. I'm not anal when unwrapping, I don't carefully pull tape away from the paper so as not to make a tear. But after everything is done I will fold up the less tattered paper and put it in a box to use the next year. I save every bag and have reused some bags in this house since 2007. It would date back further but before 2007 I was between houses for 3 years. Having been nomadic for so long I couldn't sacrifice storage space on a moving trip to bags and paper. Selfish yes, but it was just not realistic at the time. Since 2007 we've been in the same basic location and so I have built up quite the collection of bags and tissue paper. I know Asmerus wouldn't likely reuse paper or bags were it not for my organized storage of such things. Alas I love him that much more for having done it just to make me smile.

The end of the video shows the aftermath and what remains. I am proud to say that of all that paper I removed all tape and recycled what I wasn't going to reuse. I was rather amazed with just how much reusable paper I got out of this years paper. I thought that a lot would have to be recycled based on how small our daughter was shredding them. But I ended up with a full box of reusable paper and not even an eighth of a standard recycling bag full of recycling paper. 3 full bags of cardboard though!!!

All-in-all it was a pretty green Christmas (lack of snow and all)

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That is all from your friendly neighborhood hippie mom for now. 

Dear Hippie Mom - My Zapper's Zapped!

Hello,

My name is "Bwings" and today I'm answering an e-mail.

Dear Hippie Mom,

I have to replace my microwave since it is making some wierd noises and then there is a burnt smell. Not so good. So we are heading off to the store to buy one that hopefully won't burn down my house. I was wondering if there is any eco stuff i should know about appliance shopping? and also how to safely dispose of the one I have? Normally if I replace I give away the old one, but not such a good idea in this case lol

Yours, Happy Hippie

Dear Happy Hippie,
That's an excellent question, I have honestly questioned my possession of a microwave in the first place but when I did some research I discovered it's better on energy than your standard electric stove. Ergo as long as I'm okay with the small amounts of radiation it might emit I shouldn't have a problem using it. That and Asmerus is opposed to ever getting rid of it ;)

So what to do when homemakers best friend bites the electric bullet? A lot of people would just throw it in the garbage and not give it a second thought. But often your local trash disposal company will recycle them for you and if not they may know of a location that will. Another option, if you reside in the US of A is to go to Earth911.com where you will find a search engine to seek out appropriate recycling facilities in your location. Unfortunately I couldn't find much in the way of contact for Canada outside of B.C. in any case you still may be able to use the # 1-800-667-4321 to request a location. Of course you can also check to see if there is any good-will location nearby that might repair it and sell it or use it for parts.
Sadly there is not much in a microwave that is recyclable so if you've tried all your options I don't think you'll have any heavy amount of bad Karma if you do just toss it. I'd put it on Craig's List or Kijiji for a week nonetheless for free and needing repairs and see if maybe anyone has the parts and know how. Might give you piece of mind.

Now for the sticky business of finding a new one, you want to seek something durable with a good warranty it will cost you less in the long run. You'll also want to consider just how big you need it. The smallest size you can get away with will save energy. That is your main basis for energy consumption comparison as Energy Star doesn't rate microwaves. There isn't much else you can look at when buying a microwave as far as eco-friendly and practical use goes. Obviously there are a lot of other personal options that await you, child locks, pretty colors, you name it, but you'll figure out what you want I'm sure. Just don't boil your distilled water as mythbusters proved it can be quite dangerous if super heated
{See below}




Another microwaving no-no is plastic containers, take out containers and microwaved popcorn. I too am making a sad face right now. The plastic containers go without saying, you want to make sure if's microwave safe. Yet, even a microwave safe plastic container will leach into your food. It's best to just avoid them. Take out containers aren't usually microwave safe and you'll have melted styrofoam in your food.
Lastly and I feel more importantly, the microwave popcorn uses PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic Acid) to line their bags. PFOA is a carcinogen, leads to liver, developmental and immune system problems. It can also exert hormonal effects including altering your thyroid hormone levels.  that is also used in nonstick coatings of cookware and water-repellent fabrics. PFOA is to be phased out by major manufacturers by 2015, for now, make your popcorn on the stove in a pot with a little oil. Or one of those old popcorn poppers. I remember them when I was child. It was so loud and it took a few moments to heat up but then one kernal would fly out, it seemed it only took a few seconds after that and they were all flying. The extra positive is the unpopped kernels will stay in the machine so it'll be less picking. Mine also came with a tray for heating the butter while it popped your popcorn.

Now I've made myself hungry for popcorn and nostalgic for that old, loud popcorn popper.

So I'll leave you with a checklist of other things you might want to know about one of the most common household companions since the early 70's.

• Food cooked in a microwave does not become radioactive. 
• Radiation leakage is at a minimum and must meet FDA approval. If you are concerned about radiation you needn't run from spinning glass plate, simply step back. FDA research shows that radiation at 20 inches would be 1/100th of the value at 2 inches distance. 
• Microwave's ability to cook quickly in little to no water helps food retain vitamins and minerals. 
• Microwave's don't heat up the air, a welcomed relief in the summer months.
• They use far less energy (up to 80% less) than conventional ovens. Saves your electric bill. 

That's all for this week, I'll be back with more Monday. Until then, have a good weekend, your friendly neighborhood hippie mom.


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